Speak for Me
by LetteMom
Summary: You shifted my world with your silence…you are my world now.
1. Assertive Quiet

All Paul knew was Bella had left Jacob to go save that leech then came back almost a year later so depressed she couldn't speak. Of course, Baby Alpha just ate up whatever sob story she'd given him and forgave her. It was disgusting!

Since she came back, she hasn't left little Jakie's side. He's had her glued underneath his arm to every event, every barbeque, every bonfire, hell, even every pack meeting. Paul was fed up.

It was at another pack meeting that it all blew.

According to Alpha Sam's sacred rules, only wolves and imprints were supposed to be at pack meetings. No elders, no girlfriends, no outsiders… Yet there the little paleface bitch was, curled up underneath Jacob's arm once more like a fucking puppy. Even Jacob's imprint was in on the pity party, sitting on the bitch's other side patting her on the head. All three of them looked so fucking cozy on the brown leather sofa in Sam's living room. It made the rage-loving wolf sick.

Turning to Sam, he asked casually, as if he was asking for ice cream, "Why the fuck is the leech-lover here?"

Tense silence answered him. The little leech-lover didn't even twitch, her chocolate eyes staring vacantly at the woven rug on hardwood floors before her. He waited a beat, two, then the predictable, "Shut your damn mouth, Lahote."

Paul's eyes cut to Jacob. "Or what, Baby Alpha? You gonna grow some fucking balls?"

Eyes flashed lupine gold. Baby Alpha growled, as if that was supposed to intimidate him. "Bella has every right to be here."

"Says who?"

"Says me!"

"She doesn't!" Paul snapped, standing up. "She's not an imprint, damn sure not a wolf. She's just a leech wanna-be, draining your emotions and everyone else in the fucking pack."

Jacob leapt from the sofa and moved until his chest was pressed against his pack-mate's. Neither spoke for a moment, a silent war of dominance in their hateful glares and tense, shaking bodies. No one moved to interfere, knowing from experience that even the slightest movement might be enough for either wolf to explode - literally - in the volatile atmosphere.

After a few minutes, Paul broke the tension with a sneer, "Why doesn't Little Miss Leech speak up? For once, let her defend herself."

Nostrils flared as Baby Alpha opened his mouth, no doubt to defend her _again_ , but he stopped. Both glanced down at the small pale hand resting lightly on Jacob's bicep. Only Paul followed the hand along the slender arm, up the long neck, to the face of the little bitch who stared their discussion. Her eyes were still focused on the rug beneath her feet which pissed him off that she couldn't even work up the nerve to look at the people whose fight she was interrupting.

Her little champion released a heavy breath before backing up two steps into his imprint's waiting arms. Bella stepped up into his vacated spot, facing Paul, and slowly lifted her head. He watched as her eyes traced up his body, steadily moving over his stomach, his chest, his neck, before pausing on his lips. Her chest lifted on the deep breath she took before her eyes continued up, crossing up his nose to finally meet his eyes.

Her chocolate gaze shattered his world, collapsing everything around him into darkness, then held him captive as it slowly rebuilt. The mountains rose around them, the water rushing loud in their minds, and finally the light returned as the world began to revolve once more, a little smaller than before as it spun hypnotically around the two alone together in its sphere of revolution.

Outside their sphere, chaos exploded in silence as the pack inferred what had occurred. Jacob's arms tightened around his imprint. Quil and Embry both rose to approach the couple, but a slashing glance from Sam stopped both in their second step, Emily's tight grasp on his hand preventing him from physically restraining them. Jared and Leah exchanged expressionless glances, neither invested enough to have a first reaction and content to wait and see the results.

Neither Paul nor Bella noticed any of this. The previously angry wolf let out a shuddering breath, the tension completely vanished from his body as his black gaze traced Bella's features, for the first time noticing all the details he'd missed the past few months since she'd been back. A large scar intersected her left eyebrow, dangerously close to her eye. Tiny puckered scars littered her cheeks, as if someone had dragged a grater across her face. Her nose was slightly crooked, a sign he knew from personal experience meant it'd been broken at least once and hadn't been set.

"What happened to you, baby girl?" he whispered as his hands rose to cup her cheeks, his thumb lightly caressing the scars nearest her lips.

His little girl slowly opened her mouth, and he waited breathless for the musical sound of her voice. It never came. Her head was tilted slightly back, her eyes on his as he stared frozen at the scar tissue inside her mouth. The longer he stared, the blurrier his sight became as his mind put words to the image in front of him. He collapsed to his knees, bringing him eye level with the sickening vision before him as he finally accepted what his mind was screaming at him. Her tongue had been ripped out.

Eyes shifted the few inches to her resigned eyes, his wolf flaring up at the bare hint of hope in the chocolate depths. His thumbs moved beneath her jaw, gently applying pressure until her mouth was closed once more, then covered her lips in a loving graze.

"I can speak enough for the both of us, baby girl," he whispered.


	2. Convey My Secrets

**Author's Note:** I wasn't actually planning on expanding this, but the responses to my very first post overwhelmed me. I honestly underestimated the lure of fans. Thanks to you, I was motivated to continue the story. I hope I've lived up to your expectations. Let me know if I should continue.

I would like to state before going too far with this idea, I am not mute (though I know some people who wish I was) and I do not know anyone who is mute (though I know plenty of people who I wish were). This is my own interpretation of a person who was made mute through traumatic injury. If I offend anyone, I'd like to apologize up front. It is not my intention in the slightest.

* * *

 _"I can speak enough for the both of us, baby girl," he whispered._

Bella met the wolf eyes of the human male kneeling before her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she registered the pack's unnatural silence surrounding them, a usually impossible endeavor, but everything paled to the proud and beautiful man who filled her direct eyesight.

Since returning to Forks, after nearly five months in a coma under the close care of Carlisle and Esme, shed turned contemplative while her mind healed the mental fractures she still felt keenly. Physically, she'd long healed as far as her human body was capable. There were still occasions of phantom pain in the damaged flesh, though she remembered receiving only about half of the abuse. Losing the ability to speak and not quite grasping ASL yet, she'd become more than a little proficient in reflective thinking and empathic listening.

She discovered that when most people made conversation, often they left more unsaid than they voiced into understandable words, and their emotions always colored the words they did speak aloud, no matter how hard a person tried to bury their feelings.

For instance, Charlie rarely spoke sentences with more than five words. Most days, there weren't more than thirteen or fourteen words between the two of them - all on his end, of course. But her stoic father had a way of communicating a thousand words in one look or a heavy sigh. Bella knew, though it wasn't said often, that her father loved her, that he'd do anything he needed to do - including consorting with supernatural beings - to keep her safe and happy, and that no matter what, he was proud of her. It seemed as if she had inherited her "good with weird" genes from her dad.

Jacob, almost the exact opposite of Charlie, spoke constantly while saying very little. Her sunny best friend loved to chat just to fill the silence, and luckily for those he blabbed to, he had a voice that was soothing despite the topic. Most of the subjects covered was everything she'd missed during her captivity and subsequent healing. She'd heard the story of Jacob and Abigail's imprinting from everyone in the pack at least twenty times. Quil especially loved to rehash how Abi had literally "fell in love" with Baby Alpha.

Jake's imprint had indeed fallen into his arms on a sunny day that was perfect for a barbeque. He, Embry, Quil, and Jared had been on their way to grab the ingredients for said barbeque when her former boyfriend had assisted in her falling with a slap to the face, something they'd all later learned was a frequent occurrence. There'd barely been a second after he imprinted before Jake was on the abusive fuck, pounding into him a bloody message of banishment that required Jared, Paul, and an Alpha order from Sam to restrain him from.

A half-Quileute half-Makah orphan who'd been living with Makah relatives, Abigail had found a new home, warm and welcoming, with Chief Black and her loving, slightly overprotective wolf. Her former relationship with the contemptuous jerk with a heavy hand - a hand he could no longer use thanks to Jake's physical memo - had slowly disintegrated her self-esteem and confidence in her own strength. The lighthearted and annoyingly optimistic Jake was helping her rebuild those traits, giving her back her lost identity. The shy smiles that Bella occasionally caught were a happy result of his whole-hearted dedication to her.

Sam was another topic that Jake constantly droned on about. The father of the pack was a dedicated disciplinarian who took his position seriously and carried it with ease. His imprint Emily was the perfect Den Mommy, and during a more serious conversation, Bella learned that Emily needed to care for the pack just as much as they needed her care.

A car accident a few months after she'd left for Volterra had left Emily with a severely damaged womb. She would never experience the fortune of bearing her mate children, never know the stresses of morning sickness or the wonder of a first kick, never meet the baby created from the love she and Sam had in abundance. For a while, she'd locked herself away in their bedroom, refusing contact with everyone until one morning she'd awoken in a puppy pile. The entire pack had felt her grief intensely, and unable to bear the sadness of their Alpha's mate any longer, had snuck into her room during the night. Afterward, they refused to allow her any more solitude, and Emily had adopted the wild boys and young girls as the children her heart needed.

Even their strong Alpha had broken down in the face of such devoted care to his imprint. Sam had always committed himself to the well-being of his pack, dedicating his time and energy from day one. He was the first wolf and from the moment he realized the truth of their legends had taken the safety of their tribe with a grave adherence. When each new wolf phased, their Alpha stayed by their side with a calm perseverance and steady presence until they could return to their human form. The new pup would learn the pack dynamics and tribal duty from the man he would come to see as a father, just as they all had.

It was when Jake spoke about Sam's place in the pack, his pride, his determination to lead them with strength through any conflict from Cold Ones to domestic family troubles, that Bella realized her friend resented his heritage and everyone's expectation that he would step up to his birthright. In his heart, he knew Sam was exactly what the pack needed, and besides, Jake enjoyed being the Beta of the pack - having the privilege of knowing everything before anyone else but not having the responsibility of needing to make the final decisions. The only decisions he was content to make concerned the life he was building with Abi.

She'd also heard quite a bit about the man her life was now tied to - oh yes, she'd recognized the bonds of the imprint tightening snugly around the two of them. Paul was straight forward in actions and words, and in both, he'd made his opinion of Bella perfectly clear. He hated her for her involvement with the leeches, thought she was a whiny brat who cried because she didn't get her way and had "then returned home for the wolves to help lick her wounds." His words. She couldn't blame him. Only Charlie, Jacob, and Sam knew what had happened to her, and they only knew the barest details. Sam only knew because as Alpha, no wolf could keep him locked out of their head.

"I think this meeting is adjourned for the time being," Sam's voice broke through the haze in her mind, soft but commanding. "Jared, Leah, find the rest of the pack and catch them up on the details, then everyone can go home."

Bella tore her gaze from Paul's penetrating stare, turning to return to Jake. Her wolf, however, had other plans. He stood swiftly, gathering her in his arms, and carrying her to the sofa to sit on him. Briefly, she considered resisting but knew it was pointless. Two reasons, the wolves were notoriously domineering creatures and imprinted wolves were a needy bunch of babies. She didn't even need the personal assurances from Emily, Kim, and Abi to figure that out.

All the males, and especially Paul, Sam, and Jacob, had a habit of forcing their opinions in a purely physical way - this usually involved pushing, pulling, and in some cases, picking the resisting party up and carrying them. Sometimes, if the wolves were feeling generous, they'd pretend to listen to the opposing opinion first.

This wasn't to say the girls never had a say in anything. Over time, and out of necessity, they'd learned to work around the dominating personalities they were surrounded by. The most productive method to date was denying the pack food.

The second reason was more tolerable. Imprinted wolves were known to crave the touch of their mates and could be downright cranky if denied.

After a moment, Jake and Abi joined them on the sofa. Sam remained sitting in his captain's chair while Emily disappeared into the kitchen, presumably for drinks and snacks. She returned with coffee, mini muffins, and freshly-made finger sandwiches without anyone breaking the silence.

Finally, Bella, always better with weird than those around her - and the wolf who hated leeches the most imprinting on the human who not only tolerated them but had befriended them was certainly classified as weird, at the least - turned to Jake as much as the straining arm wrapped around her waist allowed. Her usually aware friend seemed to be in sock, his gaze as vacant as she knew hers sometimes appeared. His mind must have been really lost to his thoughts because it took a few waves of her hand and a giggling poke from his imprint before he realized she required his focus. When she had his attention, she tapped her head then pointed to his head and finally to Paul's. Then she waited for him to connect the dots.

It took a while, proof that his mind wasn't as sharp as it normally was, but eventually his eyes shot wide as he comprehended her gestures. His brown eyes flicked to Paul, who sat watching their exchange silently, before returning to hers. She nodded as she considered her wolf's obvious confusion yet uncommon restraint in his urge to question.

Jake turned to explain to Abi her request, and Bella faced Paul once more. She felt his hand at the base of her spine, belatedly recognizing that he'd been rubbing in small circles for a while. The relaxing movement lulled her, mind drifting to memories of other wolves and how they interacted with their imprints. According to what she knew of the bond, both what she'd been told and what she'd observed, there was a visceral desire, a compulsion of sorts to conform to the needs of the imprint, usually done unconsciously. It was rather obvious, she mused, that she expected Paul to accompany his pack Beta outside for a mind meld. Her current observances were whether he would fight the instincts now pressing at him or if he would accept them.

The slight pressure of his hand increased as he glided up her back, distracting her once more, and moving along her spine, came to rest lightly at the base on either side of her neck. The light touch turned into a deep kneading of the muscles she only just realized in that moment were tense. Eyes closed and head falling forward, Bella admitted to herself that she definitely need a lot of tension relief.

Without pausing in his neck rub, she felt Paul shift forward, the arm still wrapped around her waist tightening. She felt his hot breath burning her ear when he whispered, "We'll go to my place to talk after I finish with Jacob." No questions, no assurances that she agreed, no inquiries on her opinion.

Her eyes opened to glare at him. His smirk informed her that he understood her ire and felt zero remorse. With one arm, he slowly dragged her across his lap and lowered her to the sofa next to Abi before finally rising and following Jake outside.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I know many of you wanted Jake's reaction and more info on how Bella was injured. First, I wanted to give a little history of the pack which will be expanded later and show Bella's reaction to the imprint. I'm not planning for her to be subdued just because she can't talk. She's forced to be quiet, but that doesn't mean she has no spirit. She's just had to learn how to live with showing it in different ways, and those ways will be demonstrated in later chapters.

Next chapter, Jake shares the details he knows about of Bella's capture with the Volturi.


	3. Subdued Communication

Paul stepped out of Sam's house and in one leap was off the porch and phased next to Jacob's russet-colored wolf. He was immediately ambushed in his mind.

 _The Great Spirit must have some grand plan for the two of you._

 _Or he has a really sick sense of humor._

 _Naw, see…this is good guys. Now we all know why Paul was born with such a big mouth._

 _Quil, that was low, man, even for you._

 _Come on, Jared. You know I didn't mean it that way._

 _Then maybe you should have thought before saying it._

 _I -_

 _ENOUGH._ Sam's Alpha voice cut through the pack mind and all were silent. _All but Paul and Jacob phase out._ One by one, each wolf's mind disappeared until only Sam, Jacob, and Paul remained. Then Sam vanished as well.

Jacob immediately turned to his packmate. _I'm not going to warn you not to hurt her. Bella knows how to handle herself, and she wouldn't appreciate it. Besides, it's not like I can't_ _ **see**_ _anyway._ Paul growled at the thought of Baby Alpha spying on his time with his imprint, however, he wasn't given time to respond as Jacob _opened_ his memories.

The first image almost collapsed him. Bella was unconscious laying on a lavishly golden bed that only highlighted her frailty. Her closed eyes were blackened, though whether from shadows or bruises, he couldn't tell. Her lips were torn and bloody despite efforts to clean them and keep them moist to prevent worse cracking, and he could only imagine what caused the jagged slices into her sensitive flesh. Her face was hollow and pasty where it wasn't bruised. A large, barely healed gash tore through her left eyebrow. Limp, pale brown hair lay flat around her head as it was enveloped in a soft pillow.

The rest of her body was completely covered, tucked beneath her chin, and hid from supernatural eyes the rest of the damage to his poor little girl. But the bedding didn't cover the multitude of cords that connected to menacing machines, their ominous beeping penetrating his ears and barely reassuring that the abused girl was still alive despite the vision of death she portrayed.

The memory was abruptly cut off. Paul had felt the anger coursing through Jake, could feel his own rage rising. He knew that if he hadn't already been a wolf, the phase would have painfully ripped through him at the depth of hate he felt for the cause of his little girl's suffering.

The next slideshow Jacob opened to him was obviously a time-frame of his daily visits to the slowly healing girl. As the images swept through his mind, Baby Alpha kept up a running commentary.

An image of the leech doctor changing a bandage along Bella's left shoulder… _She'd been bitten, but apparently the little pixie had sucked out the venom._

A female he recognized as the leech doctor's wife, kinda maternal-looking if you asked him, was rubbing some kind of lotion onto Bella's chest, surprisingly gentle. He could see the hideous bruise that covered her entire chest while the rest of her upper torso was so translucent, he could see the delicate network of blue veins pumping life-giving blood to her weakened body… _Her collarbone had been crushed, and it destroyed her voice box. Carlisle said she'd been severely malnourished._

Familiar russet-colored hands held a weak Charlie, gently coaxing him to eat, for Bella… _He refused to leave her side except for brief bathroom breaks if I swore to stay by her side while he was gone. We had to guilt him into just those breaks and eating, reminding him that he needed his strength to help and support Bella,_ _ **when**_ _she woke up._

Two blonde vampires sat on the bed, a female sitting sideways next to Bella's head was brushing her lifeless hair… _Rosalie was pissed at Fuckturd for causing all this, stupidly trying to kill himself and making Bella feel like she had to_ _ **save**_ _him. She took her anger out by making sure Bella looked as human as possible._ The male blonde was perched at the end of the bed at Bella's feet, black eyes gazing sightlessly out the window… _Jasper has the ability to sense and manipulate emotions. When Bella had nightmares, he'd sit next to her, calm her down, and help Charlie and her get some peaceful sleep._

Finally, the hundreds of visions stopped, ending on the one he hadn't realized he'd been yearning for. Jake arrived with a sense of repressed excitement, an anticipation that could be felt even in a mind shared memory, to find Bella propped up slightly and smiling, her familiar shy, understated lift of lips that somehow conveyed her deep sorrow and regret that she'd caused so much pain, her relief that she still had her greatest loved ones remaining by her side, and all the love she felt for Charlie and Jacob, a love that Paul found himself unashamedly jealous of.

She'd already been brought up on what had happened to her, how she'd been rescued by Alice as soon as possible. The five leeches in the room were obviously trying - and failing - to hide how much they wished to question her, to find out what had happened in Volterra, if Alice had been in time. Paul couldn't help his growing ire, the desire to tear out the throats at the sight of so many waiting to pounce on her information, even though the memory was of a day almost three months ago. He felt Jake's understanding and answering annoyance. Baby Alpha had apparently felt the same at the time.

To distract his mind from trying to protect his mate in a memory, he turned his full attention back to her. To the small smile full of overpowering love, even if it wasn't directed at him personally…yet. To the skin that had gained back it's peach coloring from the fluids that the leech doctor had been forcing into her slowly reviving figure. To the bright chocolate eyes that he knew from Jacob's previous memories of before she'd left had dimmed slightly but still inspired loyalty from her friends, despite the shadows that five months in a coma couldn't erase. To the long, milk chocolate tresses that lay flat around her head, but that he knew would spring to life around her heart-shaped face once more.

He longed to return to her, to leave the heart-wrenching memories and drench himself in her physical presence once more, to run his fingers through those fine, wavy strands, to feel every inch of her, and to ensure she really was healed. But she wasn't, not completely. Her body was mended, but her mind was still fractured.

Paul forced his mind back to his Beta, giving a mental nod at Jake's nudge. He was ready for the rest. He would endure the rest of the tormented visions for his imprint. Fuck, he would endure the torments of Hell for his imprint. She was more than worth it. It took another month of daily visits, re-introducing Bella to the living world and to the pack, one member at a time, before Bella was ready to share her experience.

First, she had to leave the Cullens. Bella was emotional, and the maternal leech was overly touchy in her farewells, but they all helped in assisting the girl they all apparently cared for into her beloved red truck, seated between Jacob in the driver's seat and Charlie riding shotgun. Skip forward to arriving at Billy's house where the Swans had been invited to stay, so Charlie could get the help he needed while he supported Bella's revival.

Then came introductions to Abi. The two girls hit off an immediate friendship, connecting in their similar traits. Both were a bit insecure and quiet but loved with a deep and protective passion their important people. They also shared a twisted amusement when it came to Baby Alpha that scared Paul watching it through Jake's memories. He felt for the poor boy who had to witness it first-hand.

Emily was next, her maternal nature helping to carve a place into Bella's motherless life. Their shared love of cooking helped them bond, and soon the three frail-bodied but strong-willed women were almost always together. Em helped pave the way for the rest of the pack to re-enter Bella's life.

The next time Em came over, with Bella's permission, she brought Sam. With the caring Den Mommy standing guard, the stern-faced Alpha was easily bearable, and Bella even laughed once in his presence, silently of course. After that, even if Jake or Charlie were absent, if Em was around, Bella could get through any visit. Thankfully, Baby Alpha didn't subject him to every meeting with each of his brothers and sisters.

A month later, with encouragement and assistance from Em and Abi, Bella finally wrote a long and highly edited version of events for Charlie, Jake, and Sam to read. At this point, Jake phased back to human, Paul following suit, and with a quick "Wait here" disappeared inside. He reappeared twenty-eight seconds later with a couple pieces of notebook paper. Bella's letters…

* * *

 _To my warm Jake, who despite everything I've done has remained the sun of my life, bringing light to my dark world and guiding all those who revolved around him into my orbit to help me heal, thank you so much. I can never repay the love and care you've shown me, and while I would keep my story from you if I could, Abi told me how much I'm hurting you by not trusting you. So here goes, and I hope one day you'll forgive me for leaving you and Charlie, for putting you both through so much pain. I know you've already said at least a hundred times that you do forgive me, but I know it isn't possible just yet, no matter how much you want to._

 _There're also a couple letters for Charlie and Sam. Could you pass them out for me when it's their turn to read my account? And maybe you could just give Charlie an abridged version?_

 _I promised you when I left with Alice that I would return, no matter what, to my home and my family, the people who showed me what a loving family truly is. I hope you can see how much I meant my promise. I honestly had no idea what awaited us in Volterra, but Alice was certain that we'd make it in time, save Edward, prove that I was still alive and how foolish he was, then we'd all go home. But like so many of her visions concerning me, her sight was foggy, the outcomes constantly changing and unclear._

 _We arrived just in time to prevent Edward from exposing himself, but somewhere along the way, the Cullens have forgotten about me, about the consequences of me knowing them. I was still a living human with knowledge of their existence. The Guard blocked us before we could finish convincing Edward that I was real, but their presence finally snapped him out of his denial, at least. See, vampires can be useful sometimes._

 _The Guard that approached us was made of four vampires. One was the largest male I've ever seen, even bigger than Emmett or Sam, and he looked to be Italian, but you never know with these ageless kinds of folk. A shorter blonde guy next to him reminded me of Guy Pearce, you know the actor who played the traitor friend in the new Count of Monte Cristo movie? He just had this very aristocratic Greek face. The other two were scary young and looked eerily like each other, more than twins rightfully should, which is what they were, I found out later._

 _The little girl twin, and I swear she couldn't have been older than twelve when she was changed, was apparently the leader. Surprise of surprises. She told us the kings, the three leaders of the Volturi and of the vampire world, had invited us to meet them. She was polite about it, but I doubt I need to clarify that the invitation wasn't an optional one._

 _Back in the sane world with us, Edward tried to convince them to let me go, but Felix - he's the really big guy I mentioned - made it clear that my presence was required when he slammed Edward into the ground. I thought you might like that visual. It was like we stepped into a whole other world when we followed them inside. I know, only I could notice the gothic style of architecture while being led to my death, so I won't worry you with all the details._

 _There were three kings, though Aro was obviously the one in charge. He had a gift that allowed him to see your thoughts, all of them you've ever had, when he was touching you. But just like with Edward's gift, my mind was blank to him. Good news, this meant he was too fascinated to kill me. Bad news, he didn't want to let me go. I managed to get him to agree to six months before being changed, but in return, I had to remain in Volterra, working as a human secretary for the Volturi. I won't bore you with the details of office work._

 _Edward tried to save me once, but we were caught. I only escaped punishment because Aro decided I wasn't trying to escape. Yes, I think he really was that insane. Edward wasn't so lucky, and he was punished very badly for trying to steal the kings' possession…that's me. It took me a few months, but I finally found out what happened to him, thanks to Demetri. When I tried to voice my opinion to Aro - I know, really, really stupid - he punished me by ripping out my tongue, so I couldn't "voice anything anymore," he said._

 _By this time, almost twenty-two weeks had passed, and the kings decided that five and a half months was close enough to six. Demetri, the Greek Guy Pearce who showed me what happened to Edward, was the one charged with changing me. I think that's when he broke my collarbone. He was probably less careful because when I changed, all my recent injuries would heal._

 _Neither Aro nor Demetri had any way of knowing that Alice would rescue me that night. She'd stayed quiet the entire time, and I realize now that she'd just been waiting for the right time, unlike Edward's bumbling rush into action. I don't know where she got the strength, but I'll always be grateful that she was able to suck out the venom then stop. I owe her my life, just as much as I owe you my sanity, Jake._

 _The rest you all know better than I do, probably. Alice rescued me, using her cleverness, her_ _ **sight**_ _, and the infinite Cullen resources. She got me to Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper before returning to cover our tracks and distract the Volturi, and they got me to Carlisle who healed me and Esme who returned me to all of you. I'm still waiting on Carlisle to find out what happened to Alice and Edward now that I'm gone. I hope they're alright._

 _So now you know what happened. I just want to move on from this. I don't want to think about it anymore or remember anything. I hope now that I've showed I trust you, you'll respect my wishes and let this all go._

* * *

Paul finished the letters quickly, his eyes absorbing the too-carefully written words. A glance at Jacob assured him the other wolf had understood the words _not_ added as well. He wondered if they'd ever know the full truth and resolved that one day, she would trust him enough to share it all so that he could completely heal her.


End file.
